2. Content
2
I. Selection of materials
II. The role and function of coursebooks
III. Advantages of coursebooks
IV. Materials evaluation and selection
V. A framework for the selection of
coursebooks
▹ a. Psychological validity
▹ b. Pedagogical validity
▹ c. Process and content validity
3. I. Selection of Materials
Conningsworth (1995:1) as cited in Tomlinson (1998)
noted that the wealth of published material that is
available on the market today makes the selection of
the right coursebooks a challenging task, requiring
teachers to make informed and appropriate
choices when selecting coursebooks and supporting
materials.
In the early days, ELT coursebook contained mainly reading texts
accompanied by a set of comprehension questions and a few
grammar and vocabulary exercises and Materials today offer
‘packages’ for language teaching which include workbooks,
teacher’s guide, audio and video support and even CALL programs
with precise indications of the work. (Littlejhon (1998: 190) as
mentioned in Tomlinson (1998).
4. “Littlejhon observed that : We need
to be able to examine the
implication that use of a set of
materials may have for classroom
work and thus come to grounded
opinions about weather or not
methodology and content of the
materials is appropriate for a
particular language teaching
context (Littlejhon, 1998: 190-1) as
mentioned in Tomlinson (1998).
4
5. II. The role and function
of coursebooks
In Facilitating the teaching and learning of English:
▹ The published materials do not always provide the
types of texts and activities that a teacher is seeking
for a given class (Block,1991) as mentioned in
Tomlinson (1998).
▹ Others argue that they (the published materials) tend
to have a constraining effects on the freedom of
action of the teacher, predetermining the content and
procedures for learners and pre-empting creativity
and exploration on the part of teachers (Prabhu, 1988)
as stated in Tomlinson (1998)
5
6. III. Advantage of
coursebooks
1. Coursebooks fulfill a wide
range of practical needs
2. The coursebooks helps
provide a route map for
both teachers and
learners.
6
7. Breen and Candlin
(1987) and Breen (1989)
as stated by Tomlinson
(1998) describe the
selection of materials
as:
Task-as-work plans
Task-in-process
Task-as-outcomes
IV. Materials evaluation
and selection
▹ Selection material
concern with the
potential that a set of
material may have in
supporting learning
▹ Evaluation of material
involve assessing how
effective and useful
the material in
promoting learning
7
13. III. Process and Content
Validity
Methodology
Content
Appropriacy
Authenticity
Cultural
sensitivity
Layout/graphics
Accessibility
Linkage
Selection/grading
Sufficiency
Balance/integration/challenge
Stimulus/practice/revision
Flexibility
Educational validity
13
14. Conclusion
14
Coursebook evaluation is not only depending on its aim and
context but also it can embrace different perspectives and
multidimensional (static or dynamic).
The most important thing when selecting the coursebooks,
we should think whether the coursebook consider about the
students need to engage in authentic communication in
order to develop “real-life” communication skills and
assessing the effectiveness of the materials.
16. References
16
Allwright, D (1981) “What do we want teaching materials
for?” ELT Journal, 36 (1), 5-18
Tomlinson, B. (ed.) (1998) Materials Development in
Language Teaching Chapter II. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press
William, D. (1983) “Developing criteria for textbook
evaluation” ELT Journal 37 (30)
